Gloria Estefan & Daughter Emily Estefan Write Music & Lyrics for New Musical ‘BASURA’

A new musical inspired in a Latin American true story is heading to Broadway, with music and lyrics by no other than Cuban-American superstar Gloria Estefan and her daughter, songwriter Emily Estefan. BASURA (Spanish for “garbage”) will narrate the journey of Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra, a group of young artists who turn scrap material into instruments and music into possibilities.

The Thursday (April 24) announcement coincides with the third edition of Billboard Latin Women in Music, just one year after Gloria Estefan received the Legend award.

Based on the award-winning documentary Landfill Harmonic, BASURA brings the sound of Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra to the theater as a “heart-swelling reminder that even in the most unlikely places, you can build something beautiful,” according to a press release.

The show will first run at the Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theater in Atlanta from May 30 to July 12, 2026, before heading to Broadway.

“This is a story that has been close to my heart for several years since I first encountered the determination and ingenuity of the young people of Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra,” Gloria Estefan said in a statement. “Emily and I are thrilled for our music to be a part of telling their story in this original musical. We could not be more excited for BASURA to begin its theatrical life in a city as influential and diverse as Atlanta with a theater as consequential as the Alliance.”

BASURA is directed by Michael Greif (Rent, Dear Evan Hansen), with a book by Karen Zacarías (Native Gardens, Destiny of Desire). Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton, In the Heights) is the musical supervisor, orchestrator, and arranger; Patricia Delgado (Buena Vista Social Club) the choreographer, and Ken Cerniglia (Hadestown, Newsies) the dramaturg.

The show was produced in partnership with Michael Shulman (Sand and Snow Entertainment) and Colin Callender and Daniel Unitas (Playground). Wendy Orshan and Jeffrey Wilson of 101 Productions, Ltd will serve as general managers.

BASURA was developed, in part, with support from The Orchard Project and Ari Edelson, artistic director.